"Give Me Springs of Water, Too!"

Scripture Passage

Judges 1:1-3:30

Scripture Focus

“Let me have another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. (Judges 1:15 NLT)

Observation

I’m focusing, today, on a verse that has little to do with the overall focus of the reading for the day. I mention that so that you know that I know that such is the case. And I mention it with a reminder that this blog is a daily posting of what speaks to me devotionally, not necessarily a comprehensive discussion of the broad themes from the reading each day.

So here we are in Judges, finally. And these opening chapters are significant, because they set the theme for everything that follows in Judges. Joshua had died, territory remains to be taken—but won’t be taken completely as God directed. And as a result, Israel will fall into a repeating (and deteriorating) cycle of disloyalty to the covenant, oppression by her enemies, a sincere cry for deliverance, and God’s answer of a deliverer—until that “judge” (leader) dies and the whole cycle begins again.

But before that repeating cycle begins in earnest, the opening chapter records the efforts of Judah and Simeon conquering territory in partnership with one another. And as a part of that, we get the story of Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, who captures Kirath-sepher, and receives Caleb’s daughter, Ascah, as his wife in reward. (Got all that?)

In Judges 1:15, Acsah—who has received land from her father—asks for a “wedding gift” bonus of sorts.

“Let me have another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.” (Judges 1:15 NLT)

Again—I’ll preface what I say by noting that this request is not central to the theme of Judges (it’s perhaps included more than anything to record legal ownership of water rights by Acsah)…and the analogy I’ll draw, though true, is neither stated nor implied in the text itself (all that disclaimer for all you Bible scholars out there)…but when I read that verse, I thought…

“Lord, in salvation you’ve given me territory, too. As a ‘wedding bonus’, give me ‘springs of water’, also.”

Yep—I’m a full-fledged Pentecostal—and my prayer…my cry…is that the whole of all that God has given me in Christ would be thoroughly irrigated by the overflowing presence of the Holy Spirit—“Not just land, but springs of water, too, O Lord!”